Safety device for incinerators



April 2, 1966 E. D. CARRIGAN ETAL 3,245,368

SAFETY DEVICE FOR INCINERATORS Filed July 51, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 i j z-i I N VEN TOP-5 EMERY D. CARRIGAN LAWRENCE 0. DOYLE J12 A7- TORNE KS April 12, 1966 E. D. CARRIGAN ETAL 3,245,368

SAFETY DEVICE FOR INCINERATORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 51, 1963 [NVEN TOPS EMERYD. C'A/FRIG'AN J LAW/EFNC'E QDOYLEJR MZMJM ATTORNEYS United States Patent sota Filed July 31, 1963, Ser. No. 298,912 1 Claim. (Cl. 110-18) Our invention relates generally to incinerators and more particularly to automatic safety devices therefor.

More specifically, our invention relates to incinerators of the type which .are normally positioned exteriorly of a walled structure but which have connections with and are fed from the interior of such walled structures.

In structures of the class immediately above described, it is essential that a tubular feeder sleeve, leading from an opening in the wall of the incinerator, extend through the wall of the building so .as to permit feeding of the incinerator from within the building. The intermediate portion of the feeder tube is conventionally provided with some sort of a self-closing closure element, not inf-requently in the nature of a split guillotine door. This closure element, while located exteriorly of the wall structure, is openable from within the wall structure. Additionally the feeder sleeve is provided on its projected outer end with a fire door which is located within the building. This fire door is normally maintained in an open position so as to facilitiate feeding of refuse into the incinerator from within the building. Not infrequently the closure element, while gravity biased toward a closed position, is also retained in an open position for this same reason. Under such an arrangement, the heat from the incinerator may become so great as to present a fire hazard to the interior of the building.

Our invention has for its principal object the provision of novel means whereby the fire door within the building will automatically close under the action of gravity as the heat passing through both the closure element and fire door becomes sufiiciently great to present a fire hazard.

A further object of our invention is the provision of mechanism of the type above described which incorporates a minimum of working parts and is foolproof in its operation.

A further object of our invention is the provision of mechanism of the type above described which is relatively inexpensive to produce and which is easy to install and maintain.

The above and still further objects of our invention will become apparent from the following detailed specification, appended claim and attached drawings.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary View in vertical section of a wall structure showing an incinerator installation in side elevation and illustrating our invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view in front elevation as seen from the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to FIG. -2 but illustrating a different position of some of the parts;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view in section as seen from the line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view as seen (from the line 55 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view as seen from the line 66 of FIG. 2.

Referring with greater particularity to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates a vertical masonry wall of a conventional walled structure or building, identified in its entirety by A.

A conventional incinerator 2 is, .as shown, located exteriorly of the building A. The wall 3 of the incinerator 2, also in conventional manner, is formed to define a feeder opening 4 which communicates with the combustion chamber, not shown. A horizontally disposed feeder sleeve 5 projects outwardly from the wall 3 about the feeder opening 4 and through a horizontal opening 6 in the wall 1.

As shown, the intermediate portion of the feeder sleeve 5 is provided with a closure element, identified in its entirety by the numeral 7. Closure element 7 is in the nature of a split guillotine door, the upper and lower closure members of which are identified by 7a and 7b respectively. As shown, the closure members 7a, 7b are mounted for relative raising and lowering sliding movements in guide channels 8 and are formed from refractory material 9 encased in suitable shell-like housings 10 and retained therein 'by any suitable means such as opposed pins or rods 11 carried by the shells 10 and embedded in the refractory material 9.

l'ournalled for rotation in a transverse inverted channel-shaped frame member 12, which connects the upper ends of the channels 8, is a pair of laterally spaced sprockets 13 having flexible chains 14 entrained thereover. One end of each of the chains is secured to the upper end of the upper closure member 7a, is indicated at 15. The intermediate portions 16 of the chains 14, as shown particularly in FIG. 3, extend downwardly through tubular passages 17 defined by opposite side edge portions of the upper closure member 7a, and at their lower ends are secured to opposite sides of the lower closure member 7b, as indicated at 18.

It might here be stated that, in conventional manner, the upper closure member 7a is sufficiently heavier than the lower closure member 7b so as to cause both thereof to assume the closure-forming dotted line positions of FIGS. 1 and 2, under the action of gravity. For the purpose of imparting opening movement to the closure members 7a, 7b we provide a treadle 19 pivotally secured, as at 20, t0 the extended crank arm 21. Fast on the intermediate portion of the crank arm 21 and projecting transversely through the wall 1 from the interior thereof to the exterior is a rotary shaft 22. Mounted fast on the shaft 22 exteriorly of the wall 1 is a second crank arm 23 to the extended outer end of which is journalled, as at 24, a connecting rod 25. The upper end of the connecting rod 25 is pivotally secured to the bottom of the lower closure member 7b, as indicated at 26. With this arrangement, it is obvious that depression of the treadle 19 within the walled structure A will simultaneously cause the upper closure member 7a to raise, and the lower closure member 7b to drop thereby completely opening the feeder sleeve 5 so as to permit refuse to be deposited into the interior of the incinerator 2 through the normally open fire door 27 within said wall structure A. When, as above indicated, it is the desire of the operator to maintain the closure elements 7a, 7b in their separated inoperative positions, it is but necessary to place some weighty object against the treadle 19 to prevent the arm 21 from returning to a raised position.

As shown, the fire door 27 is mounted for vertical raising and lowering movements within the Walled structure A whereby to respectively open and shut the extended outer end of the feeder sleeve 5. Opposite side edges 28 of the fire door 27 are received in suitable vertically extended guide members 29, which form part of a generally rectangular frame 30. While fire door 27 is gravity biased toward the operative closed position of FIG. 3, counterweights 31 running in suitable guides 32 and connected to door 27 by flexible tie members 33 running over pulleys 34 are provided to reduce the impact of door 27 under unrestricted gravity closing conditions. Lowering movements of the door 27 beyond the operative position of FIG. 3 are limited by the lower cross frame member 35.

Door 27 is raised to its normal inoperative position of FIG. 2 manually. However, to retain said door 27 in this elevated inoperative position, a flexible link or the like 36 is provided. As shown, link chain 36 is secured at its lower end to the lower end portion of the door 27, as indicated at 37, whereas the opposite end therof is provided with a hook 38 which is adapted to be hooked over the transverse upper frame member 39. One of the links 40, of the link chain 36, is formed of a metal such as lead, tin, bismuth cadmium or the like, or alloys thereof and which have a melting point sufficiently low to cause fusing under conditions of excessive heat emanating from the incinerator 2 through the feeder sleeve 5 and the simultaneously open closure element 7 and fire door 27. In a detailed sense, it will be observed that the fusible link 40, when in its operative position, is relatively closely spaced to the upper end of the door 27 so as not to be affected by heat emanating from the feeder sleeve 5 which would normally not present a fire hazard to the interior of the building A. However, under the excessive conditions above described, the link 40 will melt, thereby effecting breaking the chain 36 and causing the door 27 to return to the operative position of FIG. 2 under the action of gravity.

Our invention has been thoroughly tested and found to be completely satisfactory for the accomplishment of the above objects, and while we have shown a preferred embodiment thereof, we wish it to be understood that the same may be modified without departure from the scope and spirit of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In an incinerator of the type adapted to be located disposed feeder sleeve projecting laterally outwardly therefrom for extension through an opening in a wall of said structure, the improvement which comprises:

(a) a normally closed closure element in the intermediate portion of said sleeve, exteriorly of a wall mounted for movement toward and away from a tube-closing position,

(b) means within said walled structure for imparting tube-opening movements to said closure element,

(0) a normally open fire door mounted for vertical sliding movements with respect to the outer end of said sleeve within said walled structure independently of said closure element and gravity biased toward an operative sleeve-closing position,

((1) and link means for maintaining said fire door in said normally open position against said gravity bias,

(e) said link means including a link having a melting point sufficiently low to cause fusing thereof under conditions caused by excessive heat from said incinerator passing outwardly through said sleeve when both said closure element and said fire door are raised to their inoperative positions.

References Cited by the Examiner FREDERICK L. MATTESON, JR., Primary Examiner.

H. B. RAMEY, Assistant Examiner. 

